Question about Flite Streak ARF

[Larrys4227]

Howdy folks! First time post here and got a question about the FS ARF... been almost 4 decades since I last flew C/L. Have been flying RC for awhile...

I have setup the FS by the manual, with the exception of the C/G, which is set 1.5" from LE. The engine is an OS25LA and have 60' lines.

My question is .... what is the best way to launch this thing??? 

Several videos I've watched show it being launched from the ground. Theres not much prop clearance and I'd be launching fom grass. When I was a kid ... hand launching is what I remembered.

Any thoughts??  Thanks! Larry (Larrys4227)

[peabody]

Hi Larry, and welcome back!
Hand launching works just fine.....
I have had good luck, too, with a large and light (3 or 31/2") foam wheel.
Try a 9X4 prop, too....
Thanks

[Mark Scarborough]

10 x 4 APCs are a great prop for an LA 25, as for the flight streak gear, single gear  is pretty safe, but hand launchin gworks,,

[Paul Taylor]

From one retread to another...... drop the single landing gear and spring for two. The extra weight will not hurt. Then you can do ROG take off's much better.

Paul 

[Garf]

Try the new 2.5" park flyer wheels by DuBro. Very light, and so far, they have survived my Primary Force landings.

[Larrys4227]

Thanks for all the responses! Was thinking about a larger wheel, but was concerned with weight. I know they dont weight much, but as changes are made ... well before I know it, the thing turns into a slug.

Changing the prop would be down the road after several flights, and after the engine is broke in. I dont think I'd dare put on a 10x4 with the current LG wheel....as it is, the 9x6 has a 1/2" clearance when the plane is sitting parallel to my bench. Just a bit concerned about 'mowing the lawn' when the tail comes up for takeoff.

I'd like to at least get it off the ground the first flight ..... maybe I can choose my helper wisely .... someone that can toss it correctly.  LOL!

FlySafe! Larry (Larrys4227)

[bill marvel]

Thanks for all the responses! Was thinking about a larger wheel, but was concerned with weight. I know they dont weight much, but as changes are made ... well before I know it, the thing turns into a slug.

Changing the prop would be down the road after several flights, and after the engine is broke in. I dont think I'd dare put on a 10x4 with the current LG wheel....as it is, the 9x6 has a 1/2" clearance when the plane is sitting parallel to my bench. Just a bit concerned about 'mowing the lawn' when the tail comes up for takeoff.

I'd like to at least get it off the ground the first flight ..... maybe I can choose my helper wisely .... someone that can toss it correctly.  LOL!

FlySafe! Larry (Larrys4227)

Larry

I have an ARF FliteStreak with an OS .20 FP that I have been flying for about three years.  You will not have any difficulty getting it off of the ground unless the grass is so deep it catches the lines!  Do not attempt a long groundroll take off until you are familiar with this little bird.  It can just about take off vertically.  You would be safer to attempt a ground takeoff instead of letting an inexperienced person try to heave the FlightStreak into the air.  Try the larger wheel to increase your prop clearance.  It won't add enough weight to matter.  Don't worry about breaking in the engine.  Run a couple of tanks thru it to establish your needle setting.  These engines operate best at higher RPMs than we used to run them.  The FlightStreak is very light and will be quite fast even on 60' lines..  Don't hesitate to use the 9-4 suggested.

Have fun.  You made a good choice.

regards,
bill marvel

[Alan Hahn]

I'm using a 7-4 prop on my Fox 15BB engine. Flies pretty good on 52 foot lines. It's fun---like the BiSlob. Always nice to break the tension of flying the pattern over and over!

On my La25's, I couldn't get a good run on anything larger than a APC 9-4, so  that's what I used on my Brodak Lightning Streak (FLite Streak clone) and Ukey 35. That worked well.

[Steve Scott]

Very bad things happen when you mount a dual LG on a Flite Streak ARF then take it down to Montezuma, IA.  I left mine alone for 15 minutes and this is what I found when I returned:

[Larrys4227]

Larry

I have an ARF FliteStreak with an OS .20 FP that I have been flying for about three years.  You will not have any difficulty getting it off of the ground unless the grass is so deep it catches the lines!  Do not attempt a long groundroll take off until you are familiar with this little bird.  It can just about take off vertically.  You would be safer to attempt a ground takeoff instead of letting an inexperienced person try to heave the FlightStreak into the air.  Try the larger wheel to increase your prop clearance.  It won't add enough weight to matter.  Don't worry about breaking in the engine.  Run a couple of tanks thru it to establish your needle setting.  These engines operate best at higher RPMs than we used to run them.  The FlightStreak is very light and will be quite fast even on 60' lines..  Don't hesitate to use the 9-4 suggested.

Have fun.  You made a good choice.

regards,
bill marvel

I'll stop by the HS today and see what they have for wheels. Think I remember seeing some lite wheels for 'lectrics there. I need an extra prop or two anyway ... I'll see about an 9x4. Don't wanna get going too fast in circles .... I'll be dizzy enough as it is, I'm sure. LOL!

CG'd the plane last night .... over an ounce to the nose. I was surprised by that, but I guess using epoxy to reenforce the tail and stab made a difference with a plane this small. My mistake    grrr......      I have a Dubro prop nut I could use, and although its the right thread .... the thing is HUGE.

Hope to maiden the FS wed, or thur..

All the responses are mucho appreciated !!!!

FlySafe! Larry (Larrys4227)

[Paul Taylor]

That extra wheel might be the weight you need?

If you ever have to launch from a stooge you will be glad to have that extra wheel for sure. Two is better then one. Way better.


Paul 

[Larrys4227]

Howdy again ..... !!  I put a couple of tanks through the engine tonight and have a couple concerns. They may be minor, but maybe I'm missing a few things with this type of setup, as opposed to the 40-75 2-strokes I'm use to.

OS25LA-S, Byron's 15%, 9x4 prop, A3 plug, exhaust baffle removed, HS needle about 2 turns out.

First issue is the metal fuel tank, supplied with the FS plane. Its centerline is in-line with the venturi, and mounted right to the fuse (no padding/foam). There are 3 lines on the fuel tank. I have it hooked up .... top line goes to pressure fitting on muffler, middle goes to needle valve, and the bottom is the fill ... or what I call "useless"... but plugged off. After filling the tank (my electric pump needs to be replaced .... fills way too fast) and reconnecting the lines, if I wait a few seconds ... fuel will begin to syphon through the pressure line and into the muffler. It wont stop unless I intervene.

Second issue. Once the engine is running, if I tip the wings to either side (lets say 30-40 degrees), air bubbles immediately appear in the fuel line and the engine becomes unstable. It will quit if I hold the wings tipped. Righting the wing resumes a good flow. 3 times I ran the engine .... maybe 3-4 minutes until the tank emptied. Its plenty rich, but I've noticed fuel remaining in the tank. The engine was warmer than I would have liked as well.

The first thing that I question .... are these ARF-supplied tanks junk?? Because its metal, I can't see any of the fittings and how they are routed inside. I might be missing something here .....

As a habit, I always disassemble my mufflers, remove the baffle, and then RTV the halves together. Never have I had issues with fuel delivery, but maybe an engine this small needs the baffle for back pressure. I've since reinstalled it, but haven't run the engine. Thoughts on this??  Could this be causing the air bubbles when the wings are tipped? When the plane is flying, does centrifugal force play any roll in fuel delivery? I don't want to fly the plane until the air issue is resolved. ANY stunt at all seems like it will cause the engine to quit.

Lastly, is 15% too high for the 25LA? With as rich as it was running, it seemed to have higher temps than I would have liked.

On a positive note, the 9x4 prop seemed to provide PLENTY of pull, and the new 3" foam wheel gives me plenty of clearance. 

Sorry for being so lengthy, but I wanted to get details out here. So many times I see posts with issues, but not enough info for anyone to really help out.

Appreciate all input .... Thanks! Larry (Larrys4227)

[Ray]

Almost every "bottom" vent I have ever seen on a metal tank has usually been an OVERFLOW, and yes, it's supposed to be capped, if that's what it is (however, I have seen tanks made with no bottom vent at all, so that the one below the other two was the feed line, and the overflow was on top).  Almost every uniflow-vented tank I have ever worked with required an offset from being in line with the center of the venturi, of between 1/8" and 3/8" upward.  The correct fuel feed line will not allow the engine to stutter when the outboard wing is lowered, which says to me that you are identifying one of  the three in some incorrect manner. 

You should be able to "stand" the plane sideways upon its outboard wingtip, and run the tank completely dry. And yes, I understand that I am only addressing a single pair of your symptoms, but it gives you a starting point. 

[Bill Heher]

I've had good luck with a 3 oz plastic tank ( DuBro or Sullvan) mounted with rubber bands and using a chunk of computer mouse pad foam for padding.

I plumb the tank for clunk / pressure just like an R/C tank, others have had good luck plumbing for uniflow.  If the space between the leading edge and the back of the engine won't allow the tank to fit you can mount it on the inboard side, it works just fine.

Do a search in the Engine Set Up section for Dirty Dans FP .20 set-up thread, much good info there, part applies specifically to using an OS .20, but there is a ton of info there applicable to general set-up of the airframe.

[Mark Scarborough]

with my LA 25's, I have much better luck with a 10x4 APC, however, lots of people use the 9x4. as for the engine being warm, its new and it will make more heat than it will after its broken in. the thing I would watch is to make sure you dont lean it out to far. It really sounds like you need to reinvestigate the tubes on your tank, I kind of think you may have something hooked up different. I dont know that tank as I build my own so havent ever used the one on the FS. It could be its not a Uniflow? The other thing, I have run Byrons fuel, it is NOT very high oil, I think its a total of 17% 50-50 castor and synth. when I was running that fuel, I added something like 8 oz of castor to it in order to get up closer to 23 percent totall oil. That will definetly help cool the engine and make it last longer. Sounds like you are at least aware of the details. YOur description contains all the pertinant facts. I dont suppose you by anychance have a tach? or an infrared temp gauge so you would know what the temp actually is.
Ad for aligning the tank, I would say starting with the centerline more in the neighborhood of 1/8 above the venturi centerline is safe.
One other note, not fact just observation, I have had profiles that when you are holding them on the ground will bubble and foam the fuel but when they get airborne the vibration seems to self dampen or just not be present, so you may be ok on that note. Still a good thing to be aware of. There could be a problem too inside the tank with a pinhole in the tank seams or tubing?( hey its a reach but it could be) so that when you tip it its exposed.

[Larrys4227]

Mark, Bill, Ray, and everyone else .... thanks for all your insights. They all make sense and is great info. If I were a more patient guy, I would explore all the possibilities you suggested but, alas, I'm not. LOL!

Heres what i did ....

Replaced the stock FS tank with a 2oz. Dubro slant face. 2 lines - Clunk and vent.
1 gallon of 10% Nitro - 18% oil, and added 7oz of castor to bring the oil up to 23-24%
And also picked up a 3 oz. bulb fueler.

Result ----- Nearly Perfect!

I still feel the engine is too warm, but not as warm as yesterday. Sorry, I don't have a temp gauge but next time I run it I'll grab my tach. I was running it rich though .... fuel/oil residue everywhere.

The other thing that may be a concern down the road is the tank size. I wanted a 3oz tank and would have mounted on the inboard side as suggested, but the LHS didn't have one. The other thing is the clunk doesn't move around much and I can see it sucking some air during some stunts. Have to wait and see when I get it in the air and see how it responds. A 3oz tank will be in the future though. Am much happier with this setup ... its what I'm used to.

If I can find a helper, tomorrow evening will see its maiden .... crossing my fingers that its ready. 

FlySafe! Larry (Larrys4227)

[Bill Heher]

The clunk hanging up is why I use a 3 oz tank on the IB side. I can shorten the clunk line just a bit to make sure it doesn't touch the wall of the tank. It leaves a bit of fuel in the tank and tends to take a while to shut down, but runs real staedy for the first 2 - 2 1/2 oz.
Plenty long enough for me to do some inside / outside loops, 8s, wingovers and some inverted laps.  With the long spans between flying sessions if I run the tank out and get all the above in I consider it a pretty good flight.

Good luck- oh yeah- if you can find some of the older fuel line- can't remember the brand but it was a white / milky color - the wall thickness was a bit thinner and it lets the clunk flop easier. The newer silicone blue / red / green stuff seems much thicker. Good for longevity, but not so good for flopping!

[Larrys4227]

The Flight Streak had its maiden this evening .... and all went well!!  Flies nicely with a decent pull to it! Landings had me backpedaling abit ... for some reason it always wanted to land into the wind, which put slack in the lines. On the fifth and final flight, I clipped the ground abit (I was getting cocky!) and knocked the landing gear off. It actually landed pretty nice without the wheel on it! LOL!

I do have to play with the fuel pickup in the tank. It was laying on the inboard/fuselage side of the tank, and when it ran out of fuel the first flights, there was about a 1/3 of a tank left. I pushed the clunk to the outboard side and had one tankful that ran completely dry, but it wanted to keep movng back to the inboard side on the last couple of flights. I started doing some wingovers (think thats what they are called) and some other foolish stuff, and it was forcing the clunk to move.

Thanks for all your insights folks! This weekend I'm gonna fly the heck out of it!!   

FlySafe! Larry (Larrys4227)

[Steve Scott]

You will not have any difficulty getting it off of the ground unless the grass is so deep it catches the lines!

Heh, I used my ARF FS two years ago at the Sig contest.  OS FP .20 w/9-4 APC prop and dual (dural) LG.  Made hundreds of uneventful takeoffs.  My 2nd official at the contest found a hole and nosed over on takeoff.  Since I flamed out during the outside loops on my first official I had to take an attempt and had one shot at everything.   It wasn't all that pretty but I did manage to complete the beginner pattern and was awarded my first ever pattern points after putzing around over 40 years of sport flying.